Excluded
by SaltwaterJanuary
Summary: Some teams need to work on their team work. (I wrote this before Team Sonic Racing released, as a sort of theory. Because of this, some of the information is wrong).


**Excluded **

"Come on! Come on, Team Rose, you can do it!" Even though she was happy to be cheering on her team from the other side of the screen, it still felt strange to her that she was not a part of it herself. She understood how Big must have felt, watching Amy and Cream in the Extreme Gear Grand Prix...if he was watching it at all. Maybe he had forgotten then. But, it didn't really matter.

"Mr. Espio, Team Vector is doing pretty well, isn't it?" She turned her head briefly to look back at the chameleon, who was leaning over the sofa and watching the Grand Prix with nervous eyes.

"Oh, they are alright. It's just not a very acceptable sort of 'alright'. Pff, he promised me he'd win if I would 'only stay back with Charmy'. Like that will happen." As Espio mostly only muttered the last part, Cream assumed that she wasn't supposed to ask about it. It wouldn't be etiquette, her mother would say.

"Well, they all try their best," was the only thing she could think to reply, as she went back to watching the action. She wasn't upset that she had not gotten to race- after all, she wasn't excluded. It was just the age limit had said "eight and older." Ultimately, Big and Amy had decided to choose a few chao to be their third partner. Cheese was a bit upset about that at first, but he decided now he'd rather stick with Cream anyway. Cream was beginning to get a bit sour at the fact that the chao were probably younger than her anyway, and that they probably shouldn't count as a "third" partner- they were more than one person. Well, and the fact that it couldn't make sense to her that she'd be allowed in an Extreme Gear Race and not a typical Car Race...but she tried to understand it, nonetheless. She went back to watching the tournament.

"Mr. Sonic's Team is doing really well!" She exclaimed. She wasn't at all surprised that they were doing so well, but it was still worth noting.

"Yes, I knew they would." Cream began to get the feeling that Espio was so focused on Team Vector that he didn't particularly care about Team Sonic's success. She was right, too, but she didn't know that.

Charmy, for nearly the first time that evening (to everyone's surprise), spoke up about the Grand Prix. "If I were 'old enough' to race, I would totally have won by now."

Espio shot him an annoyed look, but didn't say a word. He didn't have much patience at the moment to correct him, anyway.

"But Charmy, one person can't just win by themselves, it has to be a team effort," Cream said quietly. She was surprised by the feeling of the words "team effort" as she said them, but she largely ignored this. Cheese chirped in reply.

"Oh, well, I'd just have to be the MVP of the team, then. I'd be the best of the teammates!" Charmy insisted.

Cream had a discussion with herself as to whether or not she should point out the flaws in that, but his enthusiasm wasn't exactly harmful, and so she let him have his way.

Espio sighed as he continued to watch the race, he already knew the outcome in some way. He knew for certain who _wouldn't _win. "I told him. I tried to. Something else has got to be going on with this Grand Prix, right? After all, none of us has even heard of Dodon Pa, and he seems pretty shady to me."

"_Everyone _seems shady to you," Charmy corrected. He was right, but then again Espio was usually right, too.

So Espio ignored this.

"I hope that he's not bad or anything...I don't want anything to happen to anyone," Cream murmured, looking at the icon of the figure himself at the bottom of the screen. "I mean, he does seem a bit mysterious...but we can't judge a book by its cover." She thought about the possibility, and thought about the fact that if that _did _happen, they would be some of the few not entered in the Grand Prix...so they were some of the few who could go help the teams if they got themselves in trouble. Perhaps it was a good thing that she wasn't able to race (not excluded, just _not able_) for that reason. Perhaps she shouldn't be wishing bad upon the Grand Prix. Cheese read her thoughts and squeaked to let her know she shouldn't think too far into it. She patted his head gratefully.

"Well, I guess we can only wait and see. " Espio mused. As he saw that the first team had crossed the finish line (and that that team wasn't Team Vector) he turned off the television.

"Espio! You can't just turn it off! We won't get to see what happens afterwards…" Charmy argued.

"I've had enough of this, though. I guess I shouldn't have believed him. Anyway, there's nothing much to see after the race is over."

"Mr. Espio, what if Dodon Pa _does _do something evil, after the winner is announced?" Cream asked.

"Then we'll find out about it on the news tomorrow." With that, Espio stopped leaning on the back of the sofa and walked off into the kitchen almost indignantly. Of course, he wasn't blaming anything on Cream and Charmy for wanting to see the rest, but he was too angry at _Vector's _failure to care much. He forgot that, after all, it wasn't entirely Vector's fault. A team effort was the point.

"But wait!" Cream called after him, jumping up from the sofa to catch up. "What if by then it's too late? What if they need our help?"

"I wouldn't worry about it, they can fend for themselves." Espio replied, looking through the cabinets to find his green tea. He convinced himself that if he just had some, he might calm down and be less angry at Vector...if that was possible.

"Yes, but what if they need help, too?" Cream insisted.

Charmy apparently had followed her into the kitchen for different reasons, because he startled her when she turned and saw him behind her. He laughed for a moment, before going to Espio. "Hey, I bet you're just mad because you didn't get to go!"

Cream was surprised at the way Charmy _tried _to annoy Espio. Of course, she knew he was no saint, but she didn't expect him to be so...mean, even if he was kidding. She was even more surprised when Espio actually acknowledged the remark, in a more angry way than she had expected. Apparently being excluded- no, _not able-_ to compete in the Grand Prix brought out the worst in them.

"I'm _mad _because the stupid crocodile decided to go off with some other team members, just because, 'oh, I need to watch Charmy', when in reality I would've been the one to help him win. I thought this was all about a "team effort". If that's true, it sure doesn't seem like one! I had no say in whether or not I got to go, and he just went off and got a new team...and named the team after _himself. _Wow, what a 'team effort'." With that, he sat down at the table and forgot about the green tea. "You know what...I guess it doesn't matter though. It's already done." He sighed.

"Oh…"Charmy replied. He was taken aback by Espio's reply, not really expecting him to be bothered by it. Usually he would at best only scold him for it, or...something along those lines. "Well, um, I-I guess I was sorta right then...but that makes sense. I guess I'd be mad too, if I were old enough to be in the race."

Cream was about to comment about the fact that perhaps she was feeling a little left out, too, but Cheese squeaked and reminded her that she didn't really want to reveal any bad feelings towards her own team. Instead, she walked to the kitchen table and tried to think of a way to help Espio. It did seem awfully ironic. This Grand Prix was all about teamwork, but in the process it had split up a few teams. And it didn't seem right for Vector to just form up with Silver and Blaze, and leave out Espio as a result. She sympathized with him in a way.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Espio…" She began, gently. "I guess Mr. Vector just got a bit carried away…"

"I know he did," Espio muttered. "Really, it's not like I care _that _much to be on a team with him. I just wish he would have asked and not told."

"He's gone off before like that," Charmy said. "I mean, he didn't ask us to form a team with him during that Extreme Gear Grand Prix, he just went off with Team Rose."

"Yes, unfortunately...he can be like that. I know he means well, we could use some prize money after all, but he just gets so blurry-minded when prize money is in the matter, that he just...forgets his team," Espio muttered.

"Yeah...and I know my team wouldn't have left me if it weren't for the age limits, right?" Cream, at last, let herself ask.

"I'm certain they wouldn't have let you go if it weren't for that. You do your best, Cream, and I'm sure that they wouldn't overlook that," Espio remarked. For as long as he'd known Team Rose, they didn't seem like the type to willingly leave each other behind. He somewhat envied that part of them.

Cream brightened up at this, hoping it to be true. She thought so, at least. "Well, maybe you should talk to before it happens again next time…" she suggested, going back to the issue at hand.

"I would like to," Espio sighed. "I just hope he will listen to it."

"If he doesn't, I bet _I _could get him to listen!" Charmy exclaimed.

Espio shook his head, even though there was a trace of a smile across his face. "Oh, you could at least get his attention, I'll give you that much." He got up, and went back to making his tea, a bit better off than before. "One of us will have to talk to him, at least. He can't keep doing this."

"Yes," Cream replied. "I hope that it goes well for you." In her mind, she decided it would be best for her to talk to her own team, too. That way she could be honest about how she felt, and not worry about holding any hard feelings towards them. Cheese seemed to agree, as he chirped in reply to her own thoughts, and landed by her side.

Perhaps this was the last time their teams would be broken apart.

**A/N: This is a product of what happens when I let my mind wander around. **


End file.
